Definition Improvement Suggestion vs. Preventive Action - Clear Definitions and Differences

Can anyone tell me how to clearly and simply explain the difference between an improvement suggestion and a preventive action? There seems to be a lot of confusion here and I have given up!

In my opinion, a preventive action is just what it says, it is action to prevent (a problem). Improvement suggestions might not be geared to problem prevention, but more for making things faster, cheaper, or more efficient. I look at preventive actions as just one type of improvement suggestions (or continual improvement). So preventive actions are a subset of continual improvement.

But that is just my opinion.

Improvement would generally be related to something in conformance, that you can improve it?s capacity of fulfilling requirements. If you don?t perform the improvement, you are still in conformity.

Preventive action is to prevent the ocurrence of a NC. So, if you don?t perform the PA, you will end in a non-conformity situation.

Well, preventive action for me is to prevent an occurance of a potential nc. Subtlety, but can be subject a long discussion.
Cheers

You are right, so I will rephrase:

Preventive action is to prevent the ocurrence of a potential NC. So, if you don?t perform the PA, you may end in a non-conformity situation.

As the word "suggests" / implies - improvement suggestions - the probable / correct reaction is: to consider what is being suggested, there wouldn't be any punitive consequences coming from the issuing party; whereas, under the ISO Standards, preventive action is a must - there would be punitive consequences should that potential problem which the PA would address happens or like the issuance of NC Report from the concerned party.

Actually I have some scepticism over the logic of the preventative action ...

When it is about the potential NC, than basically it will considered effective if the potential NC remains potential and does not manifest or occur as a non conformity.
But can we really say with full confidence that this is only because of our latest and greatest preventative actions?
The particular potential NC can occur because of other reasons than the scope of the preventative action and there is a chance that however the nc occurs, the original preventative action was effect in its own scope and only the surrounding or the landscape of the things has changed and caused the occurrence.
Contrary, when there is no occurrence of the potential nc, there could be million other reasons rather than our latest and greatest preventative action and it does not occur only because of the coincidence of other effects.

Cheers!